Online K12: Status, Challenges, and Opportunities

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Online K-12 Status, Challenges, and
Opportunities
Susan Patrick President and CEO North American
Council for Online Learning spatrick_at_nacol.org

Melody Thompson Assistant Professor and Director
of Doctoral Studies PSU Adult Education
Program mmt2_at_psu.edu
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North American Council for Online Learning

• NACOL is the premier K-12 nonprofit organization
  in the field of online learning.
• Provides leadership, advocacy, research, training
  and networking with experts in K-12 online
  learning.
• Ensure every student has access to the best
  education available regardless of geography,
  income or background.
• Virtual School Symposium (VSS)

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Distance Education in K-12 Public Schools
2002-2003 (NCES 2005)

• 328,000 enrollments in 2002-2003
• 36 of public school districts have students
  enrolled in distance education courses
• Of these districts, 72 plan to expand their
  distance education courses
• Distance education provides more course options
  to public school students
• 50 of districts offered Advanced Placement or
  college-level courses
• 80 cited the most important reason as offering
  courses not otherwise available at the school

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Percentage Distribution of Enrollments in
Distance Education Courses 2002-03
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Reasons for Offering Distance Education Courses
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What Leaders Need to Know Four Key Ideas

• 1 Online Learning Expands Options
• The first impetus to the growth of K-12 distance
  education was an interest in expanding
  educational options and providing equal
  opportunities for all learners. (p.7)
• 2 Online Learning Is Rapidly Growing
• Recent Surveys show that K-12 online learning is
  a rapidly growing phenomenon. (p.4)
• Clark 40,000-50,000 enrollments in 2000-2001
• Eduventures 300,000 K-12 enrollments online
  2002-3
• USED/NCES 328,000 enrollments in distance ed
  2002-3
• Peak Group 500,000 enrollments in 2005
• Growing 30 annually

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Online Learning Works

• 3 Is Effective Equal or Better
• One conclusion seems clear On average, students
  seem to perform equally well or better
  academically in online learning. (p. 17)
• 4 Improves Teaching
• Teachers who teach online reported positive
  improvements in face-to-face, too.
• Of those who reported teaching face-to-face
  while teaching online or subsequently, three in
  four reported a positive impact on their
  face-to-face teaching.
• (p. 25)

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Are Online Students Engaged?
Apex Apex Learning, Inc FLVS Florida
Virtual School VHSVirtual High School
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Are Online Students Learning?
Apex Apex Learning, Inc FLVS Florida
Virtual School VHSVirtual High School
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Online Learning National Education Technology
Plan

• Goals related to E-Learning (pages 8-9)
• Provide every student access to e-learning
• Enable every teacher to participate in e-learning
  training
• Encourage the use of e-learning options to meet
  NCLB requirements (HQT, SES, choice)
• Explore creative ways to fund e-learning
• Develop quality measures and accreditation
  standards for e-learning that require those
  required for course credit
• www.NationalEdTechPlan.org

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Michigan April 2006

• First state to require online learning
• In new high school graduation requirements
  every student must have an online learning
  experience or course
• Need for online learning is greatest with
  students to access skills they will need to get
  ahead and compete in an increasingly
  technological workplace

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1952
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68 High School Graduation Rate

• Prepare them for the world they are entering
• 68 graduate high school
• 26 make it to sophomore year
• 80 of jobs require postsecondary education
• U.S.
• 31 proficiency in reading at the 3rd grade

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• The Silent Epidemic
• Gates Foundation commissioned first study of
  high school drop outs
• 88 had passing grades
• 69 were not motivated to work hard
• 66 would have worked harder if more had been
  demanded of them
• 81 called for more real world learning
  opportunities

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Participation

• Dual credit and exam-based courses in U.S.
  Public High Schools 2002-2003 (NCES 2005-09)
• Schools with highest minority enrollment were the
  most likely to indicate that they did not offer
  any dual credit or exam-based courses
• Schools in rural areas were more likely than
  schools in cities to offer courses for dual
  credit through distance education (33 vs. 11)
• According to the report, over six in 10 schools
  offering dual-credit courses set eligibility
  requirements for students to enroll in such
  courses in 42 of such schools, one requirement
  was teacher recommendation.

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Access to Dual Enrollment

• Dual Enrollment of High School Students at
  Postsecondary Institutions 2002-2003 (NCES
  2005-08)
• 85 of postsecondary institutions had academic
  eligibility requirements for high school students
  to participate (GPA, standardized test, SAT/ACT,
  class rank)
• 20 of students parents paid tuition
• 5 of institutions with dual enrollment programs
  or 2 of all institutions had dual enrollment
  programs geared toward high school students at
  risk of academic failure.

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Who Are Our Students?

• Largest generation (36 of total population).
• 31 are minorities more diverse than the adult
  population.
• Have come of age along with the Internet.
• Information has been universally available and
  free to them community is a digital place of
  common interest, not just a shared physical
  space.

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Rise of the Millennials

• Studies show that they are a capable,
  conscientious, concerned and optimistic
  generation, determined to succeed
• 96 percent say that doing well in school is
  important to their lives.
• 94 percent say they plan to continue their
  education after high school.
• 90 percent of children between 5-17 use
  computers.
• 94 percent of teens use the Internet for
  school-related research.
• Teens spend more time online using the Internet
  than watching television.
• High school and college students spend nearly
  400 billion a year.
• And they increasingly are involved in making
  spending decisions for their parents.

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Internet Use by Age
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12th Graders Perceptions About School
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What Are They Telling Us?

• We have technology in our blood.
• -- High School Student

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Opportunities for Online K-12 and Higher
Education Collaboration

• Conference Report and Recommendations

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What Are The Problems We Believe Online Education
Can Help Solve ?

• The leaky pipeline in our educational system
• Inadequate professional development options for
  K-12 teachers
• Shortage of K-12 teachers

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Intersection of Sloan-C Interests with Social
Needs

• The Sloan-C goal is to make education a part of
  everyday life, accessible and affordable for
  anyone, anywhere, at any time through support of
  effective online higher education programs.
• The Sloan Foundation has identified three areas
  of online K-12 education that support this goal
• Online dual-enrollment courses for high-school
  students
• Online professional development courses for
  practicing teachers
• Online certification programs for career changers

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Conference Overview

• Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, planned
  and implemented by Penn State, hosted by the
  Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on
  March 17, 2006, in Washington, DC
• Participants included 35 representatives from
  higher education, the K-12 sector, alternative
  education providers (e.g., museums, PBS, National
  Geographic Foundation), and professional
  organizations
• Goal to discuss and develop recommendations on
  collaborative efforts to strengthen online K-20
  education.

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Format of the Conference

• The day-long conference was divided into two
  parts
• Morning sessions devoted to informational
  presentations and identification of core issues
• Afternoon sessions focusing on identification of
  successful models of K-12higher education
  collaboration and opportunities for extending
  Sloan Consortium partnerships into the K-12 arena

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Baseline Data

• Presenters Liz Pape (VHS, Inc.) Susan Patrick
  (NACOL) Tony Picciano (Sloan-C and Hunter
  College)
• All three presenters emphasized that there is
  considerable online activity in both higher
  education and K-12, there is little HEK-12
  coordination in relation to curricular
  integration and quality standards.
• (Data was presented in the first half of this
  presentation.)

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Online Dual/Concurrent Enrollment

• Presenters Cheryl Blanco (WICHE) Rafael
  Granados (UC) Gary Wixom (Utah Board of Regents)
• Primary goals are curricular enrichment,
  preparation for post-secondary success, and
  shortened time to degree
• Differential availability schools with highest
  minority populations least likely rural schools
  most likely
• Several state models are emerging Utah funds
  dual enrollment with state appropriations
  provides incentives for students who complete
  Associates degree by summer following HS
  graduation

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Online Teacher Professional Development (OTPD)

• Presenters Rick Eiserman (Georgia Professional
  Standards Board) Ann Flynn (National School
  Boards Association) Susan Lowes (Teachers
  College) Liz Pape (VHS, Inc.)
• The topic had a dual focus online development
  opportunities for practicing classroom teachers
  and OTPD for those who teach online.
• OTPD offers the benefits identified by the SDC as
  characterizing high-quality PD.
• Online teachers need to know how to build
  community, facilitate project-based learning, and
  promote dialogue learning how to do this online
  as students prepares them to be better online
  teachers.
• A key challenge is to convince local decision
  makers of the value of OTPD.

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Teacher Certification for Career Changers

• Presenters Robert Henry (MD State Department of
  Education) and Sharnell Jackson (Chicago Public
  Schools)
• Teacher attrition and retirements, tightening
  standards, and a growing student population are
  stressing an already inadequate
  teacher-preparation system.
• Traditional preparation programs cant supply the
  2 million new teachers needed to meet the
  nations need for highly qualified teachers, as
  defined by the NCLB legislation.
• Alternative routes to teacher certification are
  increasingly being adopted to meet the need for
  more and more qualified teachers.

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Teacher Certification (cont)

• As of 2004, 43 states had implemented some type
  of alternative process for certifying teachers
  currently, 20 or more of new teachers enter the
  profession through alternative routes, such a
  Troops to Teachers, Teach for America, and New
  York Teaching Fellows.
• Traditionally delivered alternative certification
  programs cannot train nearly enough prospective
  teachers to meet the demand, nor do they meet the
  needs of adults filling multiple roles.
• Online delivery of certification programs
  benefits the prospective teacher, school systems,
  and the higher education institutions that offer
  such programs. However, as with OTPD acceptance
  is still an issue.

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Brainstorming and Discussion

• The first electronic brainstorming session,
  focused on necessary conditions for
  collaboration, barriers to collaboration, and
  specific action steps, resulted in a number of
  common themes
• The impact of collaboration (or lack of
  collaboration) on student access to educational
  opportunities
• The lack of incentives for collaboration
• The challenge of educating decision-makers on the
  value of online education
• The barrier of funding models that penalize one
  partner in a collaboration

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Brainstorming and Discussion (cont)

• The need for research in the three focus areas,
  in terms of both learning outcomes and
  cost-effectiveness
• The need to broaden the collaborative vision to
  better integrate alternative providers such as
  museums and PBS
• The need for integrated quality standards
• The need for coordinated national advocacy by
  national organizations and educational
  institutions

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Recommended Next Steps in K-20 Collaboration

• Schedule a conference or summit as a follow-up
  to this event.
• Form an ongoing working group to shape a
  collaborative agenda and carry it forward.
• Develop a shared research agenda.
• Develop model collaborative programs.
• Develop national online K-12 standards, based on
  earlier Sloan-C work and that of other agencies.

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Recommended Next Steps (cont.)

• Further explore the role of non-academic
  providers, such as PBS/CPB, museums, National
  Geographic Foundation, etc.
• Develop materials to educate school leaders and
  policy makers.
• Develop a K-12 track at the Sloan-C ALN
  conference.
• Expand effective practices database to include
  the three focus areas dual enrollment, OTPD, and
  alternative certification.

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The drive of established institutions is to
assimilate and distort the new into conformity
with themselves. John Dewey
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Thank You! May we have your views and
recommendations?